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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28899864">To The Back Teeth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/clottedcreamfudge/pseuds/clottedcreamfudge'>clottedcreamfudge</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Fine Institution [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bonding, Elevator Sex, First Kiss, First Time, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Magic, Magical Buildings, Magnus and the Institute take care of their boy, Matchmaking, New York Shadowhunter Institute, Sleep Deprivation, Sort Of, Telepathy, The Institute - Freeform, Trapped In Elevator, magical buildings and their caretakers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:07:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,631</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28899864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/clottedcreamfudge/pseuds/clottedcreamfudge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She watches as a familiar face, one she met long ago and whose magic is inextricably linked with hers, keeps on coming back; there is a warmth to the corridors he walks, and she likes the way her boy lights up around him. But nothing happens and nothing <i>keeps</i> happening, and she is older than both of them combined and--</p><p>The Institute has had it up to here with these <i>boys</i>.</p><p>➸</p><p>The New York Institute loves Alec Lightwood, and she's not just going to sit on her foundations and let him suffer in silence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Fine Institution [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127447</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>722</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To The Back Teeth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/14093763">and i will be your shade</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatperfume/pseuds/beatperfume">beatperfume</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She watches.</p><p>She watches as her boy grows, always careful and wrapped up tight in himself. Watches as he chalks beautiful patterns on her flagged floors and pats absentmindedly at her stones when he roams the corridors. She listens when he talks and, when she talks back - the only way she knows how - he listens to her too. He listens and he <em>mends</em>. He’s so good and bright, and she thinks perhaps she has seen souls like this before, but never this kind. Not to her.</p><p>She watches as her boy tries to do what’s right. It’s painful, at the very core of her, when he gets down on one knee and asks for forever from someone he doesn’t want; she feels bad when it’s called off days before, even though she’d liked the chapel covered in flowers and bustling with activity. It doesn’t change anything though, not really. She still watches as her boy falls over himself to obey the rules, passed down from people who don’t care half as much as he does about her, about what she and her people <em>stand </em>for.</p><p>She watches as a familiar face, one she met long ago and whose magic is inextricably linked with hers, keeps on coming back; there is a warmth to the corridors he walks, and she likes the way her boy lights up around him. But nothing happens and nothing <em>keeps</em> happening, and she is older than both of them combined and--</p><p>The Institute has had it up to here with these <em>boys</em>.</p><p>➸</p><p>Alec’s had kind of a long day. More of a long 23 years, really, but this day in particular has felt… taxing.</p><p>The thing is, he’s used to wanting things and not getting them; things like sleep and time to himself, even before you factor in less basic needs. He’s not sure if it’s a Shadowhunter thing or just a <em>him</em> thing, but it’s not like they get much time for recreation or whatever. There are always demons to kill, patrols to organise, training sessions to get through; Izzy and Jace manage it, but maybe that’s because they’re not trying to run an Institute. Or live up to some weird, semi-impossible goals set for them long before their birth.</p><p>Whatever, the point is - long day.</p><p>So he lets himself breathe just a little more freely when this seemingly endless briefing finally gets wrapped up - because that means he’s <em>done</em>, and he can pass out on top of his bedsheets for a few hours, or at least until someone comes to tell him a rift has opened to a hell dimension or something. These things only seem to happen when he’s trying to get some shut-eye.</p><p>Alec’s sure he probably has hopes and dreams that don’t involve sleeping for a solid 24 hours, but right now - marching purposefully towards the elevator - he can’t think of any.</p><p>“Alexander!”</p><p>God, he’s so bad at lying to himself that Magnus can hear him repressing from across the city, and has clearly come here to test him.</p><p>“Magnus,” Alec greets him with a smile, though he doesn’t mean to; it just kind of happens on his face and he’s too exhausted to stop it. One of these days he’s going to get himself into trouble. Magnus’s smile is bright and happy; he looks overwhelmingly pleased to see Alec, even though he shouldn’t be. Alec has been objectively awful to him on several occasions. “What’re you doing at the Institute?” The look changes to one of polite confusion.</p><p>“It’s the second Thursday of the month,” he says as they come to a stop in front of one another by the elevator. Magnus clicks his fingers, and the elevator doors open before either of them can press the call button. Alec tries to remember how to form words, tongue feeling big and out of place in his mouth. He really wishes he didn’t find Magnus doing <em>casual magic </em>so hot; he can just about handle it on a good day, but right now he’s running on empty.</p><p>“Of course - sorry.” The wards. Now that Alec’s running things here - in a manner of speaking - the wards get refreshed once a month, rather than just whenever his parents feel like they can deal with having a filthy Warlock in their precious building for a couple of hours. It’s so stupid, Alec thinks as he steps into the elevator alongside Magnus; the wards are integral to the Shadowhunters’ safety, so to be so blasé about them just because of a dislike for Downworlders… Alec shakes his head, then realises he’s doing it. Stops himself. Fuck, he’s so tired. </p><p>“No need to apologise, Alexander,” Magnus says, voice kind and warm as Alec jabs at a button and the doors slide closed. “You look about ready to drop. When was the last time you slept?” Alec meets Magnus’s eyes, which turns out to be a mistake because he looks concerned and gorgeous, and Alec’s filter goes to shit when he’s tired. This isn’t usually a problem, because he just gets snappy with the Shadowhunters - however, the things he wants to say to Magnus are of a different nature entirely.</p><p>“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you,” he manages to say, rather than the ten million other stupid things floating round his head. Stuff about how he’d probably sleep better with Magnus there, or how he would give up sleep forever if Magnus would just keep looking at him like he’s <em>something</em>. Magnus doesn’t laugh exactly, but there’s an amused huff of breath before he’s stepping slightly into Alec’s space with a little furrow of his brow. His makeup is perfect, because of course it is, and he’s wearing a silky blue tunic and a dark jacket above sinfully tight pants; his ever-present rings and necklaces glint invitingly under the strip lighting. Alec always notices these things, but he’s usually awake enough not to be too obvious about it.</p><p>“Alexander?” Alec’s eyes snap up to meet Magnus’s, and Jesus <em>fuck</em>, had he just been full-on staring at Magnus’s crotch there? This is… He needs sleep. Or possibly the sweet release of death. He grits his teeth against the curiosity and concern in Magnus’s gaze, his own iron control slipping like he’s skittering across a patch of ice.</p><p>“Long day. I’m-” But before Alec can say what he is - sorry, tired, desperate for Magnus to touch him - the elevator shudders to a stop with an ominous crunch, like tyres on gravel. The lights flicker then dim, the emergency power kicking in to support the low-level lighting.</p><p>“That doesn’t sound good,” Magnus murmurs, blessedly (sadly, <em>terribly</em>) stepping away from Alec to inspect the call buttons. “Fortunately, you happen to be in the presence of the finest magical engineer in the Brooklyn area.” Alec snorts and leans against the wall of the elevator just for something to keep him upright.</p><p>“Lucky me. Have at it.” Magnus moves his hands with his usual flare, little flourishes that Alec suspects deep down are completely unnecessary for him to actually <em>use</em> his magic, but which he likes to watch nonetheless. Blue tendrils of light issue forth from Magnus’s fingers, before sputtering out of existence before they hit the control panel.</p><p>Alec blinks. Magnus swears.</p><p>“Did you wear yourself out reinforcing the wards?” Alec asks, pushing off the wall and taking a step towards Magnus before thinking better of it. What will he do when he gets there? He’s less than useless in this situation. Magnus turns to him, frowning down at his hands, before looking up to meet his eyes.</p><p>“Now there’s a regular schedule for their upkeep, the magic needed to keep them in perfect condition is laughable,” he says dismissively. He looks back at his hands, and Alec tries not to do the same. “Something’s blocking me.” Alec is instantly on high alert, reaching for a Seraph blade that isn’t there before he even makes the conscious decision to do so.</p><p>“Someone’s doing this?” Alec asks urgently, and he hadn’t realised he was moving again, but he’s suddenly in front of Magnus and looking down at him like that’s a safe thing for him to do right now. Something flashes across Magnus’s face when he tilts his head up slightly, but it’s too quick for Alec to read.</p><p>“It feels like-” Magnus stops himself and shakes his head, then makes a sweeping gesture towards the control panel. “Is there a rune for this? There seems to be a rune for everything <em>else</em>.” Alec snorts.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m not sure there’s a rune for ‘elevator servicing’.” By the angel, that sounded nowhere <em>near</em> as filthy in his head as it did out loud. The horror must be evident on his face because the corner of Magnus’s mouth twitches, but he doesn’t latch onto the innuendo as he usually would.</p><p>“Perhaps not. How often <em>are </em>the elevators serviced, exactly? Or is mechanical safety not a priority for the Nephilim? Presumably, you spend most of your not inconsiderable funding on weaponry and black t-shirts.”</p><p>“Pretty sure we spend all our money on expensive, fancy Warlocks,” Alec counters drily, and <em>that one</em> Magnus fixates on in a heartbeat.</p><p>“You think I’m <em>fancy</em>,” he says, looking incredibly pleased. Alec rolls his eyes, but he knows he’s flushing because he feels hot all over. Except, actually-</p><p>“Okay, I’m going to need you to not be <em>you</em> for like, twenty seconds,” Alec says, closing his eyes with a sigh, “because I’m pretty sure it’s getting hotter in here.” He waits a beat, then opens his eyes to look at Magnus - who looks like he’s giving himself an actual hernia trying not to say something dirty in response. “<em>Magnus</em>,” Alec growls, and gods, he wishes he sounded less affected but today has been a <em>lot</em>.</p><p>“Sorry, sorry,” Magnus says quickly, schooling his expression into something less overtly amused. He clicks his fingers, and a 3-dimensional blue cube appears in his hand, intersecting lines making it look like someone very carefully folded up a piece of shimmering graph paper. Magnus hovers his other hand above the cube, then pulls both hands away from the grid in opposite directions; the cube expands immediately, throwing itself out to the corners of the elevator and settling into the walls like a second skin. There’s a rippling quality to the low light in the space now, and Alec tries not to think about how the minor fluctuations play across Magnus’s cheekbones like water.</p><p>“Nothing wrong with your magic then,” Alec concedes, swallowing against the dryness in his throat. He can already feel sweat forming at the base of his neck; he’d thought at first he was reacting to Magnus’s presence, like always, but it was maybe 70 when they got in here and it’s got to be in the 80s already. Magnus hums in response, walking to one of the walls and brushing a hand over the shimmering surface.</p><p>“You’re right - it’s getting hotter. We’re nearly at 90.”</p><p>“Fantastic,” Alec says faintly, pulling out his stele and wondering momentarily if he can send a fire message to someone. Then he stops, something Magnus said earlier attempting to crawl to the forefront of his mind. “Hold on. You said some<em>thing</em> is blocking you. Not someone. Did you mean, like - demons?” Alec already knows he doesn’t mean demons, somehow, for the same reason that he <em>also</em> knows any fire message he tries to send has a 0% chance of working. Magnus sighs and shrugs off his jacket, throwing it into the corner of the elevator like it’s normal and okay to do these things in front of Alec.</p><p>“It feels like the Institute,” Magnus says bluntly, giving Alec a look that<em> begs</em> him to throw out a contradiction. Alec, however, just sighs and leans back against the wall, sliding down the length of it until he’s sitting on the floor.</p><p>“She’s such a <em>dick</em> sometimes.” Magnus blinks down at him from the other end of the small space.</p><p>“Excuse me?” The lights take that moment to flicker and Alec glares up at the ceiling angrily.</p><p>“I think you’ve done <em>enough</em>,” he hisses, and the lights promptly stop their impromptu strobe party. Something about the dim emergency lighting seems contrite now, but the elevator doesn’t start back up. She’s clearly not <em>that</em> sorry.</p><p>“Alexander, are you <em>talking to the Institute</em>?” Alec looks at Magnus, biting his lip, and sees nothing but incredulity and wonderment there.</p><p>“Well right now I don’t much <em>feel </em>like it,” he says, resigned. “Since she’s trying to cook us. But yeah. Why?” </p><p><em>Why</em>, he says, like he doesn’t know how abnormal this is. He knows none of the other Heads have ever had a fucking rapport with the building they all live and work in. Alec knows full well that he’s the only one who gets the good coffee from the machine on the first floor, just like he knows the rugs in the corridors will literally always try to trip up Imogen Herondale when she visits to undermine his leadership. The lights in his office will dim beyond reasonable levels in the evenings when he’s been in there for too long, straining his eyes over paperwork that can probably wait until morning. His bedsheets are always cool in summer and unnaturally warm in the depths of winter.</p><p>And this is part of why Alec has Magnus in for regular ward upkeep now. She’d been hurting before; Back when Maryse had been stubbornly throwing up barriers between the Shadowhunters and the Downworld, Alec had skimmed his hands across the ancient stones of the Institute and felt the cracks and fissures in her spirit. She’d been holding herself up for them, but she had been aching as she did it. She’d been protecting them all for hundreds of years, and Maryse Lightwood didn’t - <em>couldn’t </em>- understand that it was meant to go both ways.</p><p>Once Alec had been given control, he’d made sure she was fighting fit, from her wards to the regular wear and tear that sometimes got overlooked when you were trying to save an oblivious population from hordes of demons. When he wraps his fingers around the handle of his office nowadays, he gets nothing but a little tingle of contentment, shot through with <em>welcome home</em>. </p><p>Now, he presses a hand to the floor of the elevator and feels her hum beneath his fingers. She’s so fucking <em>smug</em>.</p><p>“Alec, how long has this been going on?” Alec’s head snaps up, and he realises Magnus has folded himself to the floor in front of him; their knees are almost touching and for <em>fuck’s </em>sake, there is nothing erotic about <em>knees</em> but it’s still almost too much. Alec scrambles for an answer, trying not to focus on the bead of sweat he can see sliding down Magnus’s neck and into the open collar of his tunic.</p><p>“Forever, I guess,” he says with a jerky shrug, taking his hand away from the floor and digging the thumb of his other hand into the palm of it, over and over. He knows it’s a <em>thing</em> he does and it looks dumb, but it grounds him. He looks at Magnus and sighs. “She likes you almost as much as she likes me. Which is why,” he says, shooting another look at the ceiling, “I’m kind of pissed with her right now.” There’s a slight vibration through the floor that feels a lot like laughter. Magnus looks completely thrown when Alec looks back at him.</p><p>“Alexander, this shouldn’t even be possible.” Magnus is looking less bewildered and more intrigued by the second, and Alec feels himself flushing from more than just the rising temperature.</p><p>“I’m aware,” he says, trailing off when he <em>feels</em> the heat ramp up a couple degrees. He groans and thunks his head back against the wall. “I’m going to rearrange the entire library when I get out of here,” he says viciously. The responding flicker of lights clearly projects horrified indignation. “Yeah, well, I <em>like</em> the Dewey Decimal system, and you deserve it. Who colour codes a <em>library?</em>” The hand that alights on Alec’s knee has his spine straightening, eyes snapping open in surprise.</p><p>“Alec, why would the Institute be doing this to you?” Magnus asks, and Alec is just staring at where that hand is burning into his skin through a layer of denim. “To <em>us</em>?” Magnus amends. Alec swallows.</p><p>Gods, he’s just so tired.</p><p>“You know why,” he says quietly, because what else is he meant to say? Magnus knows. He <em>has</em> to know.</p><p>“You’re telling me that-” Magnus says slowly, and oh fuck he’s going to <em>say it</em>; he’s going to make Alec <em>hear</em> it. “What? The Institute <em>ships</em> us?” Alec looks him in the face, frowning, because that isn’t what he was expecting. He doesn’t even- what?</p><p>“What the hell does that mean?” Alec asks and Magnus raises his eyes to the heavens. The Institute, the absolute <em>terror</em>, sends a little flicker of <em>‘I know, this is what I’m working with’ </em>through Alec’s bones. He knows it was meant for Magnus, but he hears it too and he growls. “Well if we had better <em>internet</em> in here, maybe I’d spend a little more time on Urban Dictionary, but-”</p><p>“You know what Urban Dictionary is?” Magnus asks, shaking with suppressed, slightly manic laughter now and Alec… Alec is helpless against the pull of it, just falling into it with a punch-drunk snigger like he’s sinking into a hot bath. He’s beyond tired, his <em>house </em>is trying to set him up in an elevator, and his shirt is clinging to his back with sweat. There’s a very attractive man with a hand on his knee - no, it’s on his <em>thigh</em> now - and he’s lost 99% of his higher brain functions.</p><p>“Unfortunately,” he says, then he pushes Magnus back onto the floor and follows, pressing into him in spite of the stifling heat and sliding their mouths together. Magnus responds instantly, hands flying up to tangle in Alec’s hair and drag him closer, and Alec’s suddenly hard in his jeans with such speed he thinks there might have been some magic involved.</p><p>This is not how a first kiss should go, he thinks faintly, as Magnus moves his hands to slide up the hot, damp skin of Alec’s chest, pulling off his shirt and throwing it in the same direction as his own jacket. Alec’s vaguely aware that there should be an order to these things, even as he’s tugging at the sky blue silk of Magnus’s tunic, revealing a body he will probably dream about every night for the rest of his life. The proper order: first date, kissing, second date, maybe more kissing, third date, <em>probably okay to fuck now</em>. But he wants to do things to Magnus that he’s not even remotely qualified to perform, and he wants to do them right now, even though he’s never going to be able to ride in this elevator ever again without getting a hard-on.</p><p>“Alexander, wait-” Alec feels like he’s moving through molasses as he pulls away, pushing himself up on one arm while his other hand stays curled around one of Magnus’s stupidly toned biceps. He looks down at Magnus and feels a jolt of unbridled want shoot through him. Magnus is breathing hard, lips open and inviting, but that’s not what’s caught Alec’s attention. His glamour is down, golden cats eyes staring up at him, ethereally beautiful and unblinking; he’s seen them before, sort of, but Alec is kind of surprised by the heat that coils tighter in his gut at the sight of them now. He feels like it means something.</p><p>“Yeah?” Alec asks breathlessly, his arm shaking just slightly where he’s holding himself away from Magnus’s body. He will absolutely stop if Magnus asks him to; he has enough brainpower left for basic decency, even if he’s never wanted anything this much in his entire life. He wets his lips with the tip of his tongue and Magnus swallows, eyes tracing the movement.</p><p>“Never mind,” he says easily, dragging Alec back down into a scorching kiss that makes Alec’s spine prickle and his breath catch. Magnus’s hands are on his belt, unzipping his jeans and shoving a tangle of boxers and denim down his thighs, and Alec isn’t sure how he manages to repay the favour with one hand but he does, and then Magnus is snapping his fingers and-</p><p>“Oh fuck, <em>Magnus</em>-” Alec is fairly certain it’s an abuse of power to use magic for summoning <em>lube</em> of all things, but Magnus’s hand is hot and slick around him so he’s just - god, <em>such</em> a fan of abusing power right now. He drops down onto his forearm, burying his face in Magnus’s shoulder as he thrusts into the tight heat of his fist, making noises in the back of his throat he’s sure he’ll be very embarrassed about later. He moves his free hand down to do <em>something</em> to help - anything, really - and Magnus stops just long enough to join their fingers together, moving them to where their dicks are pressed together and… honestly, Alec’s pretty sure he nearly blacks out from how good it feels.</p><p>“That’s it, angel,” Magnus gasps below him, pulling Alec in by the hair for a kiss that’s a little uncoordinated and a lot desperate, and Alec loses it at the first press of teeth against his lower lip. He comes with a low groan, and while he’s about as unsurprised as it’s possible to be by his own abruptness, he’s a little floored to hear Magnus’s soft <em>“oh”</em> as he follows right behind. </p><p>Alec has just enough presence of mind to move slightly to the left before his arm collapses under him, reflexes landing him on his back more out of luck than any kind of skill. Magnus immediately rolls into the curve made by Alec’s outstretched arm, pressing his mouth to the deflect rune on his neck with a gentleness that should <em>not</em> be winding Alec up again already.</p><p>“Magnus,” he says softly, sounding wrung out and dopey even to his own ears as he lifts his head up off the floor. Magnus hums and lifts his face up from Alec’s throat to raise an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“I hope you’re not about to tell me you’ve got CCTV in here,” he says mildly, and Alec chokes on a laugh, his head falling back again with a thud.</p><p>“Doesn’t work on backup power,” he says, feeling <em>insanely</em> thankful for a moment that they haven’t gotten around to fixing that particular quirk of the system yet. “Plus, the Institute might be a busybody, but she’s not… y’know. Malicious.” A hum goes through the floor, along with a warning flicker of lights, and Alec remembers very suddenly where they both are. “Um, can you-?” He gestures awkwardly to the evidence of their recent activity, and Magnus obligingly cleans them both up with a wave of his hand. It’s noticeably cooler in the elevator now, and the shimmering grid Magnus conjured earlier is gone from the walls. Magnus sees Alec noticing and leans forward to press a kiss to his cheek; it’s oddly intimate, for all that he just had the man’s dick in his hand.</p><p>“If I’d been able to keep that spell going while we were doing <em>that</em>, you’d have been right to feel offended,” he says simply, rolling away again to shimmy back into his pants. Alec realises Magnus isn’t wearing underwear and tries very hard not to think about it, or about the beautiful arch of Magnus’s spine as he makes himself look marginally more respectable. Instead, he focuses on his own clothes, even though the idea of putting on his sweat-damp t-shirt is less than appealing.</p><p>“That was, um-” Alec starts as he gets to his feet, but he’s hit with such a wave of fatigue that he staggers a little bit, his hand coming out to steady himself on the wall. Magnus is in front of him in a heartbeat, gentle hands framing his face; they’re both still shirtless, and Alec is pretty sure that if he wasn’t so tired and dizzy, he’d probably have a lot of feelings about that.</p><p>“I’d be flattered, but I’m not sure I’m <em>this</em> good,” Magnus murmurs, and Alec laughs weakly.</p><p>“Tuesday,” he says with a sigh, leaning a little more heavily into Magnus’s touch. At Magnus’s questioning hum, he clarifies. “That’s when I last slept. Tuesday morning. Got a couple of hours in the library, which I didn’t actually mean to do, and I only managed it because nobody knew where I was to come bother me.” Magnus sucks in a breath and leans up to press his forehead against Alec’s.</p><p>“Alexander…” And Alec moves his head so they’re kissing again, softly this time, because the way Magnus says his name makes him want so <em>much</em>; now he’s had this, Alec isn’t sure he’s going to be able to stop.</p><p>“I know,” he says when he pulls away. “I’ll…” He swallows; starts again. “She’ll take care of me. Unless a hell dimension opens up a rift to our front door, I’ll make sure I’m left alone.”</p><p>“For at least 12 hours,” Magnus says firmly, pulling away before Alec can protest and fetching their remaining clothes from the corner of the elevator. Alec pulls his shirt on obediently, grimacing a little at the feel of it, and Magnus looks at him thoughtfully for a moment before another hand wave has his shirt feeling relatively clean again.</p><p>“Neat trick,” Alec says with a relieved sigh, which ends up turning into a yawn that threatens to break his jaw.</p><p>“Make that 14 hours,” Magnus says with a soft smile, and any protest Alec might have made about that order is swallowed up by another yawn. The elevator shudders to life, lights slowly coming back to full power, and a moment later they’re stepping out onto a relatively empty corridor. Without thinking, Alec reaches out and wraps the fingers of his left hand around Magnus’s wrist, but Magnus doesn’t even jump; he just smiles, stepping a little closer, expression open and curious.</p><p>“Will you - stay? While I… No, sorry, you must be so busy, I don’t need-”</p><p>“There’s nowhere I would rather be, Alexander,” Magnus says firmly, and if Alec’s knees go a little weak at that, there’s nobody around to see it. Magnus gestures expansively at the Institute, smiling broadly. “Lead the way, darling.” Alec drops Magnus’s wrist, feeling his own pulse race just a little faster as he tangles their fingers together instead. Magnus makes a pleased noise in the back of his throat but doesn’t say anything as they make their way to Alec’s room, where the sheets will be the perfect temperature and the curtains will already be drawn shut.</p><p>After Alec has had an appropriate amount of sleep, he’s definitely going to freak out about this. He’ll worry about what comes next, remember he lost his <em>virginity </em>in an <em>elevator</em>, and will no doubt require Magnus to hold his hand through a number of awkward conversations. But, he thinks as he faceplants onto his bed, Magnus’s chuckle barely audible over his own groan of comfort, it will probably all be worth it in the end. <em>They </em>will be worth it in the end.</p><p>➸</p><p>Several corridors away, a Shadowhunter hurries to Alec’s office with an important report. Halfway there, he trips over a rug and nearly brains himself on a wall bracket, before deciding it’s probably not <em>that</em> important and can wait until tomorrow.</p><p>The Institute hums and, as the sun goes down beyond her many stained-glass windows, wonders how her people ever get anything done without her. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This hit me before I went to sleep and took shape in my mind as I drifted off. Then I wrote it all down the next day and now... here it is. I'm obsessed with these guys, lift loving in general, and people bonding with magical buildings. I have absolutely no regrets.</p><p>Should be fairly clear that this is canon divergent, but for clarity: this is a timeline in which Alec proposed to Lydia, but then broke it off himself before everything went ahead. They're best friends now, and realise they both dodged a bullet. All that background stuff with Jace and Clary? You know, the main storyline?? I don't know what's happening there, but who needs THEM when you've got 'Love In An Elevator' stuck in your head?</p></blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
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        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30826181">[Podfic] To The Back Teeth</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambivalently_certain/pseuds/ambivalently_certain">ambivalently_certain</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/clottedcreamfudge/pseuds/clottedcreamfudge">clottedcreamfudge</a>
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